After the retreat in front of the workers' demonstrations https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22247-haiti-flash-workers-protest-at-least-10-wounded-including-2-per-bullets.html the promises to elected municipal officials https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22275-haiti-politics-moise-makes-promises-to-mayors.html after the 3-day work stoppage of 48 Mayors, President Jovenel Moïse discovers the meaning of the word concession and backs down in his budget ahead of the drivers' demands and the strikes in the public transport sector that could paralyze the whole country.

Saturday, Montès Joseph, the head of the Unified Front of Carriers and Workers Association of Haiti announced that the strike watchword scheduled for Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 October in public transport was lifted following 3 concessions made on measures provided for in the Finance Law 2017-2018, by the Head of State after several meetings with the National Commission for the Modernization of Public Transit in which public transport unions are represented.

These concessions relate to: the abolition of a flat-rate tax on the income of 10,000 gourdes; the withdrawal of increases in the amount of contraventions (return to old amounts); the reduction from 1,000 to 250 gourdes / year of the cost of a digitized tax number for all daily drivers, measures confirmed in a memorandum signed by the Minister of Economy. Regarding the cost of the driver's license, according to our information, the talks are continuing between the representatives of the trade unions and those of the Government.

While some union officials believe that President Moïse as made significant concessions, others demand the withdrawal of the finance law and are divided over the lifting of the watchword such as the Haitian unified movement of Haitian carriers (which is not a trade union), which maintains the call to strike.

Montes Joseph deplored the fact that certain sectors decided to maintain the strike insisting to stress "[...] us public transport unions, we are no longer on strike."

Let us hope that the mire lasts minority opponents, refractory to the concessions of the Head of State, think to the population before considering to cause new disturbances, Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 October...

TB/ HaitiLibre